The UN General Assembly has formally recognised the trafficking of enslaved Africans as "the gravest crime against humanity," while also calling for reparations to address historical injustices.
The resolution, passed on Wednesday, additionally urges the "prompt and unhindered restitution" of cultural artefacts – including artworks, monuments, and national archives – to their countries of origin without charge.
The measure passed with 123 votes in favour, three against, and 52 abstentions within the 193-member body. Argentina, Israel, and the United States opposed the resolution, while the United Kingdom and several European Union member states chose to abstain.
In the United States, support for reparations gained momentum in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.
However, the issue has been a difficult one and has been caught up in a broader conservative backlash over how race, history and inequality are handled in public institutions.
Unlike Security Council resolutions, General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but they are an important reflection of world opinion.
"Today, we come together in solemn solidarity to affirm truth and pursue a route to healing and reparative justice," Ghana's President John Dramani Mahama, a key architect of the resolution, told the assembly before the vote.
"The adoption of this resolution serves as a safeguard against forgetting," he said. "Let it be recorded that when history beckoned, we did what was right for the memory of the millions who suffered the indignity of slavery."
The United Kingdom's acting U.N. Ambassador James Kariuki, speaking on behalf of mainly Western nations, said the history of slavery and "its devastating consequences and long-lasting impacts" must never be forgotten.
Western nations are committed to tackling the root causes that persist today, he said, pointing to racial discrimination, racism, xenophobia and intolerance. He said "the scourge of modern slavery" must also be addressed — trafficking, forced labor, sexual exploitation and forced criminality.
The resolution "unequivocally condemns the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans, slavery and the transatlantic slave trade as the most inhumane and enduring injustice against humanity."
In approving the resolution, the General Assembly affirms the importance of addressing the historical wrongs of slavery "in a manner that promotes justice, human rights, dignity and healing."
The resolution calls on U.N. member nations to engage in talks "on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology, measures of restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, guarantees of non-repetition and changes to laws, programs and services to address racism and systemic discrimination."
It encourages voluntary contributions to promote education on the transatlantic slave trade and asks the African Union, the Caribbean Community and the Organization of American States to collaborate with U.N. bodies and other nations "on reparatory justice and reconciliation."
Cambodian man deported by the US to Eswatini is being repatriated, his lawyer says
Migrants march from southern Mexico, protesting delays and seeking papers to work
Man gets suspended jail sentence for racially abusing England soccer player Jess Carter on TikTok
British army so depleted it could only ‘seize a small market town on a good day’
Reform UK poses ‘existential threat’ to the NHS, Wes Streeting warns
Keir Starmer announces temporary ban on crypto donations in blow to Reform
